This is an adorable little set that is personalized by adding a child’s name and their likeness. I like this idea for any young child, but it’s also an idea for when you have to buy gifts for multiple children but don’t want to drive yourself crazy buying each a separate toy. With this, you can personalize it to each child, but essentially get them all the same thing. I’m going to show it to my mother-in-law, who now has several grandchildren to buy for. The cartoon faces are cute, it’s BPA-free, dishwasher (but not microwave) safe, and a good price point. The plates are $28 each, and the entire set with plate, bowl, and placemat is $74 at dylbug.com. “Little Me” Plate – Girl / “Little Me Plate” – Boy
About April
April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.
That plate seems like a super cute idea for niece/nephew/grandchildren gifts!
HSALsays
The good thing with this one is it looks easily stackable. I used to love giving novelty plates to my nieces and nephews, but since I had a kid I only want dishes that nest or stack easily.
Photo woessays
Tell me if I’m overreacting. We had family photos taken recently and I am waiting to get our gallery back. They were supposed to be here today at the latest, but our photographer just emailed us to say that to view the photos we have to set up an ordering appointment, and I won’t be able to see them until then. This was not communicated to us when we had the photos taken, and it’s incredibly frustrating. I need the digital files soon to order holiday cards, and I really don’t have time for one more hour-long appointment to discuss wall art options (which I don’t even want) over the next couple of weeks.
I know this isn’t a big problem in the grand scheme of things, but I’m incredibly irritated.
Anonanonanonsays
I’d be irritated too, and surely they can’t actually force you to meet in person. I would just say “Unfortunately, I was not aware of your desire for an in-person meeting to discuss, and I will be unable to schedule one due to a number of upcoming personal and work-related deadlines. However, I do need the digital files quickly. What will it cost to purchase access to the digital photos? Please let me know, as well as your preferred method of payment.”
Photo woessays
This is a good script, thanks!
rosiesays
Sounds super annoying. Do you have a contract with this photographer? I would refer to that (and you can remind them of other communications you have had about deadlines, if applicable), and ask them to adhere to the terms of your original agreement and send you access instructions as previously agreed.
Photo woessays
That’s a good point. I didn’t get a copy of the contract (no excuses, I should definitely know better – lesson learned.)
This lady was a SAHM until her kids were older, so I feel like she’s just not understanding how hard it is to fit in one more hour-long thing, especially this time of year. I hate being the stereotypical frazzled working mom who has no time for anything, but TBH that is who I am at this stage in my life.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
rosiesays
That’s generous of you to give her the benefit of the doubt (although I don’t want to minimize the work that SAHMs do)…but this also just sounds like a scam.
Anonsays
Yeah, it’s a pretty well known photographer scam to not release photos without a sit-down “ordering session.” It’s because they want to push all their various products (wall art, albums, etc.) on you.
Photo woessays
I didn’t mean to minimize what SAHMs do – I think in many ways it’s harder than what I do all day. I just meant that finding an hour during the day for yet another appointment can be really hard when you work full time. If I was home with my kids, it wouldn’t be such an issue to have someone come by for an hour or so
Anonymoussays
Honestly, it is how artists get paid. If you just want to buy copies of the raw files, then ask them to quote for that. And if you have 1-2 that you want to get photoshopped (not Kardashian-level, but just polishing up), ask them to quote for that, too.
You pay for their time, effort, and skill. They are just trying to make a living. Trust that that there may be something in a sit-down session of value to you and if you just want the files, be upfront about it and let them get an hour back in their lives.
Anonsays
@Anon at 11:02 – many photographers won’t release raw files. They consider the touching up (of the whole photo, not just the people) an important of their artistic process and don’t want to release what they consider poor, unfinished work. You can find photographers who include a fully edited gallery available for digital download, but of course you pay more for that. In my LCOL area, it’s around $300-400 if you want an edited gallery of 20+ images, versus around $100-150 for a sitting fee where you then buy digital files and print products a la carte.
Pogosays
+1 to the Anon at 11:07. This is my understanding of how these photogs work as well.
If you just want to get raw, digital photos quickly you want something like JCPenney.
rosiesays
I am not trying to say that she isn’t entitled to be paid for her work. When I’ve booked professional photography, the photographer is very upfront about their costs for the session and then what’s provided afterward. I know that some photogs won’t release raw images, that’s fine & understandable, but I don’t even think that’s what the OP is asking for here. It doesn’t seem right to spring on another meeting requirement to get whatever images were agreed to originally.
Photo woessays
I was up front with her in the beginning that we wanted to purchase the (edited) digital files for holiday cards. That is what we agreed on. Not trying to limit her ability to make a living in any way. I don’t expect or want the raw files.
Photo woessays
I should add that they don’t offer holiday cards, which is why I needed the files instead of buying them directly from the photographer as we’ve done in the past.
Yikes, definitely check your contract. I would 100% be annoyed!
Anonymoussays
Bonkers. Flatly refuse and demand your photos immediately.
Anonymoussays
FWIW, the copyright belongs to the photographer.
rosiesays
Doesn’t this depend on the terms of the contract?
anonsays
You also might want to ask for 1 or 2 photos ahead of time to use for Christmas cards. My wedding photographer had the whole spiel for ordering regular photos, but first sent a couple nice shots to choose for our thank you cards. Maybe schedule a sit-down session whenever you can, but ask for a few shots for holiday cards in the interim.
Photo woessays
Thanks for all of the advice, I really appreciate it. It ended up being a miscommunication of sorts – I was able to get the gallery now by purchasing the edited digital files (which was completely fine with me and what I wanted anyway).
ASD -- social skills groupssays
Does anyone with a kid with ASD have them in social skills groups? Helpful?
Trying to help ASD kid who is able to function in a traditional school classroom with social skills she desperately needs to figure out. Her BFF switched schools and now she has no friends and seems completely unable to figure out things like small talk, etc. Academically, she is OK. She is miserable though and cries about having no friends, which would make me miserable, too.
We are trying out one skills group, but the schedule will change in the spring to something we can’t make, but maybe therapists talk to other therapists and can hook us up with something on a day / location that works.
Anonymoussays
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought this was available through Occupational Therapy? Like they specifically get kids together to practice those skills
Anonymoussays
I am so sorry to hear your daughter is going through this. That is a very painful situation for any child, regardless of whether or not they are on the spectrum or not.
In any case, my kindergarten son has an ASD diagnosis and currently attends an hour long session at our ABA therapists’ office each week where he is paired with two other children who have similar skills and struggles, and two “peer buddies” (typically developing children who are volunteers), and they all play various games targeting areas of weakness (conversational volleys, losing games gracefully, flexibility in play). I don’t think they consider it a social skills group because my son and the two other kids with challenges are each paired one-on-one with a therapist (e.g., it costs the same as if we just did a solo session with the ABA therapist). We do think it has helped improve these skills outside of the group but it is a slow process. More importantly, he loves going and playing with the other kids and we think any positive peer experiences are helpful for him at this point, as he tends to go off by himself when he’s at school.
I would definitely talk to the therapists at the one group you tried and see if they can help you find a different group or perhaps a client who could pair well with your daughter. Also ask any other professionals who are involved with your daughter any any local special needs parents groups for references. These types of groups are run by all sorts of professionals — speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, ABA providers — and it can take a couple tries to find one that is the right fit for your child and your schedule.
Best of luck. Hugs to you and your daughter.
rosiesays
Thoughts on the Am*zon Fire Kids tablet? I wasn’t really thinking about it, but see it for what seems like a pretty good price and wonder if it would be useful. Right now my 2.5yo uses my iPad sometimes or an old Android tablet (which is really only used by her or when my husband wants a mindless game to play) with the PBS kids video or games app. Is the Fire any step up? Can you get the PBS kids apps for it or is it Am*zon-exclusive content only?
Anon Mamasays
My kids each had one close to that age, and they loved them. I think we had PBS kids stuff on them. Most apps work on the OS. They were super-sturdy and easy for the kids to use. I liked that they had their own tablets and kept off my much more expensive devices.
Anonymoussays
We have a kindle fire but choose not to get the kids edition because we didn’t want to deal with Amazon Freetime – it sounded like it would make it really frustrating to use offline, e.g., while traveling, and harder to control which apps our son had access to. It is our only tablet, so we don’t know what were missing, but its fine.
Anonymoussays
PS – you can definitely get PBS Kids and can get any Android App if you install the Google Play store – may require some tinkering but it’s possible. But it sounds like your current setup is fine and I would leave it alone. We bought the Kindle because our other options died and we needed something for travel. The charging port stopped working after a year.
anonsays
+1 we have a kids edition and hate it because of the freetime set up. It”s very glitchy and not great to use out and about. We almost never use it and give kid an old iphone instead on trips.
Emsays
We have an iPad, which my son sometimes uses, and he has a Kindle Fire. I feel WAY more comfortable letting him use the Fire minimally supervised simply because there is no youtube on there and the few apps we downloaded are unquestionably appropriate for a toddler. He still has a number of options of games and videos (and we’ve never paid for an app), but they are all solidly kid-appropriate.
Anonsays
We just ordered one for my 2.5 year old. She previously had (an old but still in good condition) iPad that she crushed a few months ago, which worked really well, but given the damage risk and replacement cost ratios, we decided to try the kids edition. I suspect we will be putting their 2 year guarantee to the test.
rosiesays
Thanks, all! We’re going to hold off since we have something that works for now and are trying to move away from being super reliant on Am*zon to the point that maybe we could cancel Prime, so this would be going in the wrong direction.
We have the Kids F*re tablets. Mostly we ignore Freetime and they use my account to watch videos. I just download some in advance for trips. It’s fine. Other than long trips they never use them so for the price I’m fine with them. And they’ve survived a lot of abuse over the years (spills, drops, etc).
SCsays
It’s basically a Friday, so I’m starting this week’s thread on cute things your kid did or said.
This morning, my 4-year-old told me his plan for the day: (1) scratch art, (2) play the running game with daddy*, and (3) watch something.
Me: Those are all good ideas, but you and Daddy also needed to go to the grocery store.
4yo: We can do that after all those things.
Me: Well, Daddy needs to cook, so maybe you could go to the grocery store, then watch something while he cooks. Do you remember the word “flexible”?
4yo, muttering: It means I have to say “OK.”
*The running game is an elaborate, custom-made game of chase.
TheElmssays
At daycare drop off this am my 6 month old grabbed a fistful of hair in each hand and pulled my hair out to the sides and then smiled a big smile (presumably because I looked pretty silly).
Anonymoussays
My 1 year old is basically a puppy – will lie down on the floor and give you his belly for tickles, shrieking with laughter and signing “more” when you stop :). My big kid (4.5) has invented a language and will pretend to talk on the phone to his stuffed animals in that language for extended periods of time – now he claims little brother can speak it too.
Pogosays
My 2yo sings a constant mashup of Baby Shark, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle and Old McDonald had a Farm. The other night we heard him after lights out really belting it out and we checked the monitor: he had managed to grab a toy bus from the floor through the bars of the crib, and he was making his baby doll sing and dance on the bus, inside his crib.
Anonymoussays
My almost 2-year-old keeps asking me to sing the Old McDonald song, and then asking for animals that don’t make a noise! So, I am instructed at bedtime, instead of a lullabye, to sing “Old McDonald had a turtle” and a “Old McDonald had a rabbit”.
Irish Midorisays
So at my dr appt this morning I learned that I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, so now I am equal parts over work and frantic to wrap up work. Also I am cranky, and now feel slightly justified because apparently I’m in an early stage of labor. And yet I just got 2 new assignments from shareholders, all received with the caveat of, “sure, I’ll be glad to, if I’m here.”
Anonymoussays
Don’t stress. Dilation doesn’t mean much. Effacement does a little more. But I was dilated at 2cm at 36 weeks, dilated at 4cm for a full week and didn’t go into labor until 40+4
Anonymoussays
Why not just say no? “Sorry, I’m due any minute now and need to focus on wrapping up existing projects.”
ElisaRsays
hang in there Irish Midori! Wishing you a smooth delivery.
Anon Lawyersays
Good luck! I finished the last work thing I cared about last week and then my water broke three hours later (three weeks early). I think the baby was looking out for me re the millions of other ongoing things. It’s been nice to tell people they’re going to have to deal. :-)
Irish Midorisays
Ooh, that is my dream. I have ONE more mediation next Monday, and if I can just get through that, I will be content (famous last words). Also, I’m hoping for a December birthstone for this baby–Tanzanite is special to me because I had a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania last summer near the only mines where it can be found!
Anon Lawyersays
Hah, I was due December 7 and spent a ridiculous amount of time thinking about which birthstone I’d prefer given I have no control over it. I decided I kind of like citrine but the Tanzania connection sounds really special.
She really surprised me by being a Scorpio instead of a Sagittarius though. :-)
Anonsays
A friend offered us a boppy lounger, dockatot and my little bed on loan for our impending baby. We’re first time parents and a bit paranoid about safety so not sure what is reasonable. Do we want these? What would we (safely) use them for?
TheElmssays
You definitely want one of them I think. I don’t know what a little bed is so I can’t comment on that. The boppy lounger and dockatot can be used to put baby down in. In the very early newborn days they are super floppy and need something to rest in. You don’t necessarily need to let them sleep in either if that worries you, but its nice to have a place to put the baby down so you can get a drink, eat something, go to the bathroom, or pump if you are pumping. Or at least that is what I used my boppy lounger for. I also used a swing for this as well. I didn’t let my baby sleep in the lounger, but I did let her sleep buckled into the swing that was fully reclined ( I realize this is not advised so do what you are comfortable with) when I was in the room doing other things like eating or pumping or washing dishes.
Pogosays
The only one I can speak to personally is the boppy lounger, which I used to place baby beside me on the couch between nursing sessions when he was < 3 mos old. I let him sleep in it supervised (like, me literally sitting right there). It is not safe for sleep and says so right on it. It has a short life span, but during those 3 mos I really used it.
I think the dockatot is similar in its utility if you want to follow the true safe sleep guidelines – supervised sleep only. If you're getting it free, I'd accept both and see which baby prefers! I would not use either for cosleeping or unsupervised sleep. I don't know anything about the 3rd one.
rosiesays
Yes, we used the Bobby lounger for similar purposes as above — supervised naps. I would generally put it on the bed w/me sitting right next to the baby the whole time. It also was angled enough that I could bottlefeed baby propped on it while I pumped (EPer here). However, we also had the regular Boppy bfeeding pillow and that worked as well if not better for these purposes. And it’s easy to wash the Boppy, not sure if the lounger has a removable cover (suggest buying multiple covers plus the waterproof liner for the Boppy if you get one).
rosiesays
*Boppy not Bobby (and any other typos I haven’t seen…). Is it the weekend yet?
Boston Legal Eaglesays
We used the Boppy lounger for literally lounging – put the baby (<3 months) in there as a safe cushiony place to look around in while we did other things. It has a nice recline. He didn't sleep in it although he did sleep in the Rock N Play for naps, which has since been recalled.
Anon OPsays
Thanks all for the feedback. We’ll accept all three and then see what she likes.
Anonsays
Just for a different perspective – I don’t think they’re necessarily unsafe, but I really felt no need for one. If I wanted to leave the room, I wanted the baby in a PNP or crib for safety reasons, and if it was supervised lounge time I just put her on an activity mat on the floor. I suppose maybe some babies hate to be put on the floor and then I would have had to buy one of these loungers, but we never saw the need.
Anonsays
Ditto! And babies being on the floor is actually a good thing for them, trying to roll over etc develops muscles. Too many “baby containers” vs letting them use their muscles.
Anon OPsays
Thanks for the alternate perspective
Anonymoussays
Real life: my baby hates Hanna Andersson PJs! He’s 4 months old, and I got him size 6-12 months, but I think the arms and legs are too skinny for him. Just a PSA for any moms considering them, they don’t appear to work with chubbier limbs :(
Anonanonanon says
That plate seems like a super cute idea for niece/nephew/grandchildren gifts!
HSAL says
The good thing with this one is it looks easily stackable. I used to love giving novelty plates to my nieces and nephews, but since I had a kid I only want dishes that nest or stack easily.
Photo woes says
Tell me if I’m overreacting. We had family photos taken recently and I am waiting to get our gallery back. They were supposed to be here today at the latest, but our photographer just emailed us to say that to view the photos we have to set up an ordering appointment, and I won’t be able to see them until then. This was not communicated to us when we had the photos taken, and it’s incredibly frustrating. I need the digital files soon to order holiday cards, and I really don’t have time for one more hour-long appointment to discuss wall art options (which I don’t even want) over the next couple of weeks.
I know this isn’t a big problem in the grand scheme of things, but I’m incredibly irritated.
Anonanonanon says
I’d be irritated too, and surely they can’t actually force you to meet in person. I would just say “Unfortunately, I was not aware of your desire for an in-person meeting to discuss, and I will be unable to schedule one due to a number of upcoming personal and work-related deadlines. However, I do need the digital files quickly. What will it cost to purchase access to the digital photos? Please let me know, as well as your preferred method of payment.”
Photo woes says
This is a good script, thanks!
rosie says
Sounds super annoying. Do you have a contract with this photographer? I would refer to that (and you can remind them of other communications you have had about deadlines, if applicable), and ask them to adhere to the terms of your original agreement and send you access instructions as previously agreed.
Photo woes says
That’s a good point. I didn’t get a copy of the contract (no excuses, I should definitely know better – lesson learned.)
This lady was a SAHM until her kids were older, so I feel like she’s just not understanding how hard it is to fit in one more hour-long thing, especially this time of year. I hate being the stereotypical frazzled working mom who has no time for anything, but TBH that is who I am at this stage in my life.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
rosie says
That’s generous of you to give her the benefit of the doubt (although I don’t want to minimize the work that SAHMs do)…but this also just sounds like a scam.
Anon says
Yeah, it’s a pretty well known photographer scam to not release photos without a sit-down “ordering session.” It’s because they want to push all their various products (wall art, albums, etc.) on you.
Photo woes says
I didn’t mean to minimize what SAHMs do – I think in many ways it’s harder than what I do all day. I just meant that finding an hour during the day for yet another appointment can be really hard when you work full time. If I was home with my kids, it wouldn’t be such an issue to have someone come by for an hour or so
Anonymous says
Honestly, it is how artists get paid. If you just want to buy copies of the raw files, then ask them to quote for that. And if you have 1-2 that you want to get photoshopped (not Kardashian-level, but just polishing up), ask them to quote for that, too.
You pay for their time, effort, and skill. They are just trying to make a living. Trust that that there may be something in a sit-down session of value to you and if you just want the files, be upfront about it and let them get an hour back in their lives.
Anon says
@Anon at 11:02 – many photographers won’t release raw files. They consider the touching up (of the whole photo, not just the people) an important of their artistic process and don’t want to release what they consider poor, unfinished work. You can find photographers who include a fully edited gallery available for digital download, but of course you pay more for that. In my LCOL area, it’s around $300-400 if you want an edited gallery of 20+ images, versus around $100-150 for a sitting fee where you then buy digital files and print products a la carte.
Pogo says
+1 to the Anon at 11:07. This is my understanding of how these photogs work as well.
If you just want to get raw, digital photos quickly you want something like JCPenney.
rosie says
I am not trying to say that she isn’t entitled to be paid for her work. When I’ve booked professional photography, the photographer is very upfront about their costs for the session and then what’s provided afterward. I know that some photogs won’t release raw images, that’s fine & understandable, but I don’t even think that’s what the OP is asking for here. It doesn’t seem right to spring on another meeting requirement to get whatever images were agreed to originally.
Photo woes says
I was up front with her in the beginning that we wanted to purchase the (edited) digital files for holiday cards. That is what we agreed on. Not trying to limit her ability to make a living in any way. I don’t expect or want the raw files.
Photo woes says
I should add that they don’t offer holiday cards, which is why I needed the files instead of buying them directly from the photographer as we’ve done in the past.
EB0220 says
Yikes, definitely check your contract. I would 100% be annoyed!
Anonymous says
Bonkers. Flatly refuse and demand your photos immediately.
Anonymous says
FWIW, the copyright belongs to the photographer.
rosie says
Doesn’t this depend on the terms of the contract?
anon says
You also might want to ask for 1 or 2 photos ahead of time to use for Christmas cards. My wedding photographer had the whole spiel for ordering regular photos, but first sent a couple nice shots to choose for our thank you cards. Maybe schedule a sit-down session whenever you can, but ask for a few shots for holiday cards in the interim.
Photo woes says
Thanks for all of the advice, I really appreciate it. It ended up being a miscommunication of sorts – I was able to get the gallery now by purchasing the edited digital files (which was completely fine with me and what I wanted anyway).
ASD -- social skills groups says
Does anyone with a kid with ASD have them in social skills groups? Helpful?
Trying to help ASD kid who is able to function in a traditional school classroom with social skills she desperately needs to figure out. Her BFF switched schools and now she has no friends and seems completely unable to figure out things like small talk, etc. Academically, she is OK. She is miserable though and cries about having no friends, which would make me miserable, too.
We are trying out one skills group, but the schedule will change in the spring to something we can’t make, but maybe therapists talk to other therapists and can hook us up with something on a day / location that works.
Anonymous says
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought this was available through Occupational Therapy? Like they specifically get kids together to practice those skills
Anonymous says
I am so sorry to hear your daughter is going through this. That is a very painful situation for any child, regardless of whether or not they are on the spectrum or not.
In any case, my kindergarten son has an ASD diagnosis and currently attends an hour long session at our ABA therapists’ office each week where he is paired with two other children who have similar skills and struggles, and two “peer buddies” (typically developing children who are volunteers), and they all play various games targeting areas of weakness (conversational volleys, losing games gracefully, flexibility in play). I don’t think they consider it a social skills group because my son and the two other kids with challenges are each paired one-on-one with a therapist (e.g., it costs the same as if we just did a solo session with the ABA therapist). We do think it has helped improve these skills outside of the group but it is a slow process. More importantly, he loves going and playing with the other kids and we think any positive peer experiences are helpful for him at this point, as he tends to go off by himself when he’s at school.
I would definitely talk to the therapists at the one group you tried and see if they can help you find a different group or perhaps a client who could pair well with your daughter. Also ask any other professionals who are involved with your daughter any any local special needs parents groups for references. These types of groups are run by all sorts of professionals — speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, ABA providers — and it can take a couple tries to find one that is the right fit for your child and your schedule.
Best of luck. Hugs to you and your daughter.
rosie says
Thoughts on the Am*zon Fire Kids tablet? I wasn’t really thinking about it, but see it for what seems like a pretty good price and wonder if it would be useful. Right now my 2.5yo uses my iPad sometimes or an old Android tablet (which is really only used by her or when my husband wants a mindless game to play) with the PBS kids video or games app. Is the Fire any step up? Can you get the PBS kids apps for it or is it Am*zon-exclusive content only?
Anon Mama says
My kids each had one close to that age, and they loved them. I think we had PBS kids stuff on them. Most apps work on the OS. They were super-sturdy and easy for the kids to use. I liked that they had their own tablets and kept off my much more expensive devices.
Anonymous says
We have a kindle fire but choose not to get the kids edition because we didn’t want to deal with Amazon Freetime – it sounded like it would make it really frustrating to use offline, e.g., while traveling, and harder to control which apps our son had access to. It is our only tablet, so we don’t know what were missing, but its fine.
Anonymous says
PS – you can definitely get PBS Kids and can get any Android App if you install the Google Play store – may require some tinkering but it’s possible. But it sounds like your current setup is fine and I would leave it alone. We bought the Kindle because our other options died and we needed something for travel. The charging port stopped working after a year.
anon says
+1 we have a kids edition and hate it because of the freetime set up. It”s very glitchy and not great to use out and about. We almost never use it and give kid an old iphone instead on trips.
Em says
We have an iPad, which my son sometimes uses, and he has a Kindle Fire. I feel WAY more comfortable letting him use the Fire minimally supervised simply because there is no youtube on there and the few apps we downloaded are unquestionably appropriate for a toddler. He still has a number of options of games and videos (and we’ve never paid for an app), but they are all solidly kid-appropriate.
Anon says
We just ordered one for my 2.5 year old. She previously had (an old but still in good condition) iPad that she crushed a few months ago, which worked really well, but given the damage risk and replacement cost ratios, we decided to try the kids edition. I suspect we will be putting their 2 year guarantee to the test.
rosie says
Thanks, all! We’re going to hold off since we have something that works for now and are trying to move away from being super reliant on Am*zon to the point that maybe we could cancel Prime, so this would be going in the wrong direction.
EB0220 says
We have the Kids F*re tablets. Mostly we ignore Freetime and they use my account to watch videos. I just download some in advance for trips. It’s fine. Other than long trips they never use them so for the price I’m fine with them. And they’ve survived a lot of abuse over the years (spills, drops, etc).
SC says
It’s basically a Friday, so I’m starting this week’s thread on cute things your kid did or said.
This morning, my 4-year-old told me his plan for the day: (1) scratch art, (2) play the running game with daddy*, and (3) watch something.
Me: Those are all good ideas, but you and Daddy also needed to go to the grocery store.
4yo: We can do that after all those things.
Me: Well, Daddy needs to cook, so maybe you could go to the grocery store, then watch something while he cooks. Do you remember the word “flexible”?
4yo, muttering: It means I have to say “OK.”
*The running game is an elaborate, custom-made game of chase.
TheElms says
At daycare drop off this am my 6 month old grabbed a fistful of hair in each hand and pulled my hair out to the sides and then smiled a big smile (presumably because I looked pretty silly).
Anonymous says
My 1 year old is basically a puppy – will lie down on the floor and give you his belly for tickles, shrieking with laughter and signing “more” when you stop :). My big kid (4.5) has invented a language and will pretend to talk on the phone to his stuffed animals in that language for extended periods of time – now he claims little brother can speak it too.
Pogo says
My 2yo sings a constant mashup of Baby Shark, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle and Old McDonald had a Farm. The other night we heard him after lights out really belting it out and we checked the monitor: he had managed to grab a toy bus from the floor through the bars of the crib, and he was making his baby doll sing and dance on the bus, inside his crib.
Anonymous says
My almost 2-year-old keeps asking me to sing the Old McDonald song, and then asking for animals that don’t make a noise! So, I am instructed at bedtime, instead of a lullabye, to sing “Old McDonald had a turtle” and a “Old McDonald had a rabbit”.
Irish Midori says
So at my dr appt this morning I learned that I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, so now I am equal parts over work and frantic to wrap up work. Also I am cranky, and now feel slightly justified because apparently I’m in an early stage of labor. And yet I just got 2 new assignments from shareholders, all received with the caveat of, “sure, I’ll be glad to, if I’m here.”
Anonymous says
Don’t stress. Dilation doesn’t mean much. Effacement does a little more. But I was dilated at 2cm at 36 weeks, dilated at 4cm for a full week and didn’t go into labor until 40+4
Anonymous says
Why not just say no? “Sorry, I’m due any minute now and need to focus on wrapping up existing projects.”
ElisaR says
hang in there Irish Midori! Wishing you a smooth delivery.
Anon Lawyer says
Good luck! I finished the last work thing I cared about last week and then my water broke three hours later (three weeks early). I think the baby was looking out for me re the millions of other ongoing things. It’s been nice to tell people they’re going to have to deal. :-)
Irish Midori says
Ooh, that is my dream. I have ONE more mediation next Monday, and if I can just get through that, I will be content (famous last words). Also, I’m hoping for a December birthstone for this baby–Tanzanite is special to me because I had a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania last summer near the only mines where it can be found!
Anon Lawyer says
Hah, I was due December 7 and spent a ridiculous amount of time thinking about which birthstone I’d prefer given I have no control over it. I decided I kind of like citrine but the Tanzania connection sounds really special.
She really surprised me by being a Scorpio instead of a Sagittarius though. :-)
Anon says
A friend offered us a boppy lounger, dockatot and my little bed on loan for our impending baby. We’re first time parents and a bit paranoid about safety so not sure what is reasonable. Do we want these? What would we (safely) use them for?
TheElms says
You definitely want one of them I think. I don’t know what a little bed is so I can’t comment on that. The boppy lounger and dockatot can be used to put baby down in. In the very early newborn days they are super floppy and need something to rest in. You don’t necessarily need to let them sleep in either if that worries you, but its nice to have a place to put the baby down so you can get a drink, eat something, go to the bathroom, or pump if you are pumping. Or at least that is what I used my boppy lounger for. I also used a swing for this as well. I didn’t let my baby sleep in the lounger, but I did let her sleep buckled into the swing that was fully reclined ( I realize this is not advised so do what you are comfortable with) when I was in the room doing other things like eating or pumping or washing dishes.
Pogo says
The only one I can speak to personally is the boppy lounger, which I used to place baby beside me on the couch between nursing sessions when he was < 3 mos old. I let him sleep in it supervised (like, me literally sitting right there). It is not safe for sleep and says so right on it. It has a short life span, but during those 3 mos I really used it.
I think the dockatot is similar in its utility if you want to follow the true safe sleep guidelines – supervised sleep only. If you're getting it free, I'd accept both and see which baby prefers! I would not use either for cosleeping or unsupervised sleep. I don't know anything about the 3rd one.
rosie says
Yes, we used the Bobby lounger for similar purposes as above — supervised naps. I would generally put it on the bed w/me sitting right next to the baby the whole time. It also was angled enough that I could bottlefeed baby propped on it while I pumped (EPer here). However, we also had the regular Boppy bfeeding pillow and that worked as well if not better for these purposes. And it’s easy to wash the Boppy, not sure if the lounger has a removable cover (suggest buying multiple covers plus the waterproof liner for the Boppy if you get one).
rosie says
*Boppy not Bobby (and any other typos I haven’t seen…). Is it the weekend yet?
Boston Legal Eagle says
We used the Boppy lounger for literally lounging – put the baby (<3 months) in there as a safe cushiony place to look around in while we did other things. It has a nice recline. He didn't sleep in it although he did sleep in the Rock N Play for naps, which has since been recalled.
Anon OP says
Thanks all for the feedback. We’ll accept all three and then see what she likes.
Anon says
Just for a different perspective – I don’t think they’re necessarily unsafe, but I really felt no need for one. If I wanted to leave the room, I wanted the baby in a PNP or crib for safety reasons, and if it was supervised lounge time I just put her on an activity mat on the floor. I suppose maybe some babies hate to be put on the floor and then I would have had to buy one of these loungers, but we never saw the need.
Anon says
Ditto! And babies being on the floor is actually a good thing for them, trying to roll over etc develops muscles. Too many “baby containers” vs letting them use their muscles.
Anon OP says
Thanks for the alternate perspective
Anonymous says
Real life: my baby hates Hanna Andersson PJs! He’s 4 months old, and I got him size 6-12 months, but I think the arms and legs are too skinny for him. Just a PSA for any moms considering them, they don’t appear to work with chubbier limbs :(